Not sure there is a video for it, but the band called "Babe Ruth" had on their first album a killer version of "King Kong". The whole album was excellent, not just that cut! Album was called "First Base" and had a Hipgnosis cover on the Harvest label.

All in all, Frank's music is grossly mis-represented and in a recent article in the Oregonian, the guy was adamant that modern music was not happening, when the real issue is that he has no ear for music, and when I made the suggestion that the Symphony (in Portland) and folks like him, start giving Frank Zappa some credit -- just like the Boston Pops should, but it's there to glamour only one composer and no others will ever be given credit! -- so that they could start getting a younger audience to come and see these shows ... the reply I got? ... silence. I'm not sure that the conductor that Portland has at this time is appreciative of anything except his dad's classic records! He never heard anything else and is not going to start now!

As for the "reporters" in Portland? ... they only know what "traditional" anything is. They have never heard music. For them Gismonti and Keith Jarrett are not jazz ... but some obscure old man that still plays the same Blue Note special ... IS! Same thing for the Mount Hood Jazz Festival every year ... they are not good enough to even have "Oregon" play there ... or any other jazz giant. Corea and the like will never be invited until after they die!

I really believe that both us and the Family Trust are to blame for a lot of this ... too much of the emphazys on the work is placed on the rock hero and the guitar hero ... which has to be done to an extent for it to provide some money, but the counter to this? ... the stuff that should be made available for all else is not being done and is left behind. I am of the opinion that this is a problem for Gayle and Dweezil, since both are from the rock hero thing and generation, and they do not think of the music as "music" ... or "serious" as Frank used to state. They do not have any idea where to start that discussion in my book. I don't think that Gail or Dweezil can write a paragraph on what they think "serious" means to them ... and post it!

The instrumental stuff and classically minded stuff should be out there so that orchestras and others can grab a hold of it. None of the orchestras that you and I know will ever be interested in stuff from Overnight Sensation or from the Roxy ... and its lyrics ... and I wonder if the Trust takes it personal when there are no lyrics. According to Guy Guden, during the Sheik tour in Santa Barbara, when he went to the warm up and sound check, they played for over 30 to 45 minutes and it was "sublime" ... just non-stop ... I presume the pieces just flowed together ... but when the show started, later? ... the idiot and rock star and megalomaniac took over ... and the lyrics came on and took away the beauty of it all!

So what's in the vaults? ... you got it .. instrumental versions of everything and the kitchen sink, that those folks do not know how to show them to anyone, and have "rock fans" or "guitar hero fans" up in arms because this is not the star they they want. Let's say that this could be guitar and material that rivals Mike Oldfield when it came to guitar work within a piece of music ... but Gail and Dweezil do not have any appreciation for that at all! They are a product of a "star" thing, they do not know how to live without! It's all very Californian and specially Hollywood'ish!

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 2 guests

You cannot post new topics in this forumYou cannot reply to topics in this forumYou cannot edit your posts in this forumYou cannot delete your posts in this forumYou cannot post attachments in this forum